best there is. So I say give them the rifle, even though you do not give it to the navy. Mr. PADGETT. Then your Navy and your Marine Corps could not exchange ammunition?' Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. No, sir. It must be remembered, however, that our marines on board ship generally get their ammunition. from the ship's supply, as they get their arms from the ship's supply, and consequently no difficulty would be experienced. Mr. KITCHIN. They ought all be alike, then? Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. The Chief of Ordnance of the Navy, I understand, is asking you to give them a new arm, also. Mr. Chairman, the commandant has also directed me to bring to your attention the fact that the Secretary of the Navy has authorized him to present to you for consideration an additional appropriation, in the amount of $30,000, of which he approves, for the building of a rifle range for the Marine Corps at Stump Neck, Md., which is a tract of land adjacent to and a part of the Indian Head proving ground. The Navy Department gave to the Marine Corps a certain tract of land on which the commandant of the Marine Corps is now endeavoring to build a rifle range for the Marine Corps, to be used by the marines of Washington, Annapolis, Norfolk, and the immediate vicinity. To build the range, and the necessary houses thereon for the accommodation of the men who will be sent down there, it has been estimated that $30,000 will be required. This he has asked the Secretary to approve, and he has approved it, basing it upon the necessities of the case. We are now renting, yearly, rifle ranges upon which we send our men. We have this last year rented three rifle ranges, one at Sea Girt, N. J.; one at Wakefield, Mass.; and one at Williamsburg, Va. It has cost us a great deal of money, because we have had to transport men from a great distance to these various rifle ranges. We have been paying the States from which we rent them a certain per diem in addition to all the targets we use, markers, and all that sort of thing. So if we could utilize this tract of land which has been given us at Indian Head for a rifle range we would save the expense of rental of range; we would also save the money spent in the transportation of men, and we would have for our own sole and exclusive use a modern rifle range. You gentlemen have given marines rewards for excellence in rifle practice, and at some stations there are rifle ranges where the men can go on the ranges and fire and get this extra reward, but the men who are at other posts without the necessary means can not fire, and therefore are discriminated against in the matter of this extra compensation. Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. Where do the men come from who attend the target range at Sea Girt? Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. We send them from Annapolis, Washington, Norfolk, Philadelphia, every post south of New York. Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. Everything south of New York? Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. Yes; we use the Massachusetts range for Newport, Boston, and Portsmouth. Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. The transportation, then, down to Indian Head would not lessen the expense, would it? Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. We could take the detachments for Annapolis, Washington, and Baltimore in a tug; a navy tug could be used for this purpose. Mr. TALBOTT. You would save there. Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. We would also save a good deal of money in the rental we now pay. Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. Your rental is practically whatever you pay per diem, because your targets you would have to buy anyhow. Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. We have to employ civilians up there for the purpose of putting up targets, and so forth, but at our target ranges we would have our own men. Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. You would have to pay them. Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. They would be paid out of the regular appropriation. There would be no extra pay. Mr. TALBOTT. In other words, you would detail a man who is already on the roll? Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. We would use an enlisted man. Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. Only his authorized pay, whether he was doing that or doing his authorized duty, whereas at Sea Girt we pay civilians in addition to the ordinary pay of our own men. As the navy has given up this land, it is just asked that it be improved. It would add very materially to the efficiency of the Marine Corps if we could get this range built and equipped. Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. I think Colonel Denny's suggestion is the best one, to march them from Washington, from Baltimore, and from Annapolis. Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. You would have rather a roundabout way, because it is on the other side of the river. Mr. BUTLER. You can march from Annapolis and from Washing ton. Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. Oh; yes, sir. Ordinarily we could march, and if you want to transport men in a hurry you have navy tugs here. Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. Í am speaking about the benefit to the men. Colonel LAUCHHEIMER. As a military proposition that would very probably be followed. (Thereupon, at 3 o'clock p m., the committee adjourned until to-morrow, Saturday, December 11, 1909, at 10.30 o'clock a. m.) [No. 9.] COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS, Washington, D. C., Saturday, December 11, 1909. The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. George E. Foss in the chair. STATEMENT OF CAPT. J. M. BOWYER, U. S. NAVY, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY, ACCOMPANIED BY COMMANDER R. E. COONTZ, CIVIL ENGINEER A. L. PARSONS, AND PAY DIRECTOR T. J. COWIE. The CHAIRMAN. We now take up the items under the Naval Academy, on page 86. "Pay of professors, and others, Naval Academy: One professor as head of the department of physics, $3,600." That seems to be the same. "One professor of mathematics," the same. "Three professors, five instructors, four instructors, ten instructors." Then we come to some language in the last year's law which has been cut out, I see. Captain BOWYER. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. That extends over pages 87, 88, 89, 90, and 91. Captain BOWYER. Yes, sir. There is a note here on page 86 that. explains that. The CHAIRMAN. "The estimates as submitted for the Naval Academy have not followed existing law. The heading and wording of many appropriations have been changed, and many items have been changed to new appropriations." That means "charged to new appropriations," I presume? Captain BOWYER. No; changed to new appropriations. The CHAIRMAN. That is so. "Because of this it is impossible to follow the print comparisons between the appropriation for last and previous years with the estimates as submitted. As well as can be ascertained without testimony on the estimates, there appears to be an increase in pay of $500 for an instructor in physical training; a new provision for a draftsman and a surveyor, at $1,200 each; one chief baker, at $1,200; and also numerous small increases in pay of mechanics, armorer, chief gunner's mate, quarter gunners, coxswain, and seamen, by placing them on the per annum roll instead of on the per diem basis. There appears to be an increase in the civil establishment.” Is that true? Are there any other increases, can you tell us? Commander COONTZ. We have here a statement showing the increases and decreases. Mr. PADGETT. Put that in the record. Captain BOWYER. This is the one that is now in the hands of the Assistant Secretary. Commander CoONTZ. The Secretary sent down the proof sheets to be corrected. They have been made up specially. We made the corrections and sent them back, and that is the one that he has now. These are the corrections, as near as we can make them, on the last bill. The proof sheets sent to us for correction by the Secretary were a little different from any we had seen. The CHAIRMAN. Why do you make these changes? Why do you not stand by the law as it has been in force now for a great many years? Captain BOWYER. In the first place, the estimates were made up before I came to the academy; and then they telephoned down and asked that the estimates be in the department next morning. That was in the latter part of April, I believe. They were hurriedly made up by order of my predecessor, and there were some slight errors and omissions. Commander COONTZ. They apparently left out the care of the rifle range, which has heretofore been in, amounting to $1,277; and in adding up totals for the various academic departments they made an error of $8,500. Those were the main things. Mr. PARSONS. I think the department gave instructions that the estimates be made up on this new form and not on the old form. They were submitted originally on the old form, and then the department gave instructions that they be prepared on this new form. The CHAIRMAN. Let us see how they are changed. The pay of the sword master, at $1,500, is the same as last year, is it not? Captain BOWYER. Yes, sir; only in the last revision we have asked for an increase in the pay. The CHAIRMAN. We want to go right through, item by item, and see just where these changes have been made. "One assistant, one thousand two hundred dollars." That is the same as last year. "Two assistants, at one thousand each," page 91. Captain BOWYER. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. "Four thousand seven hundred dollars. Three instructors in physical training, at one thousand five hundred dollars each," is that the same? Captain BOWYER. Yes, sir. There has been an increase asked for the sword master. The CHAIRMAN. There has been? Captain BOWYER. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. How much? Commander COONTZ. One sword master, at $1,500, has been changed to $1,800; one assistant, at $1,200, omitted; two assistants, at $1,000 each, omitted; and three assistants, at $1,500 each, added. This would result in increasing the appropriation from $4,700 to $6,300. The reasons for these increases were set forth in the letter to the department dated October 19, 1909, forwarded to the Bureau of Navigation October 20. The CHAIRMAN. Unless there is some good reason why you should change the order of these appropriations, we prefer to have them remain as they have been going on every year. Commander COONTZ. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. I do not know what the reason was, of course. Commander COONTZ. The reason was this: I was not there; none of us were there; but we were ordered to do this by the department. (Letter inserted here.) We have brought up to-day a paper following this language word for word in each appropriation, showing any change whatever. That is, the changes that are requested are very slight; and the totals there you can see as they come. Here is the letter about the assistant sword master. (The letter above referred to is as follows:) NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, December 1, 1909. SIR: Referring to the letter of the civil engineer at the Naval Academy and your indorsement thereon of November 23, 1909, recommending changes in the estimates for the Naval Academy for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911: Under date of April 17, 1909, the superintendent submitted estimates for the academy involving a reduction of $5,360 from the amount appropriated for the previous year, and also submitted a revised estimate in which the items were rearranged. The department approved the superintendent's recommendation that the revised estimates be submitted. The civil engineer, in his letter of November 19, 1909, compared the proposed new estimates with the original estimates instead of with the revised estimates above referred to. The department incloses herewith proof sheets from the Book of Estimates, and desires that there be indicated thereon the changes and increases which it is now desired to make. When the statement in question is prepared I should like to confer with you in regard thereto. Very respectfully, SUPERINTENDENT UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY, G. v. L. MEYER, Secretary of the Navy. Annapolis, Md. UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY, SIR: 1. I beg leave to invite your attention to the small salaries that are paid to the sword master and assistant sword masters employed in the department of ordnance and gunnery: 2. The sword master has been serving continuously in this capacity since 1866 at the present salary. In view of his long and faithful service, and also of the increase in the cost of living, I recommend that his salary be increased to $1,800. The sword master probably has only a few more years to serve, and it would be a just recognition of his services to increase the salary during his service, rather than to wait until it is necessary to employ another to fill his place. 3. I recommend that the salary of the assistant sword masters be made $1,500, as in view of the increased cost of living the present salaries are not sufficient for men of the education and character necessary in the assistant sword masters. Very respectfully, H. K. HINES, Head of the Department of Ordnance and Gunnery. The SUPERINTENDENT. UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY, Respectfully forwarded to the Bureau of Navigation, approved. J. M. BOWYER, Captain, U. S. Navy, Superintendent. The CHAIRMAN. Is there any change in these three instructors in physical training at $1,500 each? Mr. PARSONS. There is an increase of $500 in the rate of pay. The number remains the same. |